The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-03-05
A Newspaper Bohemian.
BY FANNIE MAY TRoUsDALE.
CHAPTER VI.

most without exception had she here
tofore spent them among strangers, in
dull, and cheerless hotels; sometimes
without soul to speak to.
But this Sunday in Ashvil'e was diff
ferent. She arose with sense of some.
thing pleasant, at least agreeable,
ahead. After breakfast, she made a
careful toilet, and sat down to answer
Dodie's letter. She had barely time to
finish it when card was brought to
her room, bearing tho name OF ]. Frank
Graves. On the back was scribbled
81 await your pleasure.
Stephanie smiled softly to herself, as
she gave parting glance at the mirror,
She was pleased with the picture it re-
fiected, and she was not displeased
with the insistency OF the young man
who was "waiting her pleasure"
She stopped long enough to add a
hurried postscript to Dodie's letter, be-
fore going down:
"Tell mama am just starting out to
church. A young Mr.. Graves, a lawyer
of this place, will accompany me. He
is just ever so nice to me. know
mama will be glad to know I have
such triend."
cit is SO good of you," Mr.. Graves
began impulsively as stephanie entered
the parlor.
"What? To go to church ?'' she in
terrupted with surprised lifting Of the
brows, and dazzling little smile.
ayes, believe it is good of me. But
is it not rather early to start ?"
"It is little early,' he acknowledged
sheepishly, "but then," with brilliant
after thought that set him more at
ease, as he fumbled in his pocket, 81
have au excuse In the shape of a letter,
which was left in my care for you. I
thought it might be something of i'm
portance."
Stephanie received il with some sur
prise.
81 will open it, if you do not mind" !"
she said, curious to know its contents.
Mr.. Graves turned TO the piano and
began to look over the music. He was
not thinking much of what he was do
ing. His eyes would stray from the
pages before hiln TO the pathetic, small,
dark face bent over the letter, face
waic:, appealed to him so powerfully,
and by contrast, made all others 80
commonplace.
Now S,ephanie was not in the least
sigher; she had wonderful self-reli-
ance, and vein of keen appreciation
of hutnor in her composition, but she
had a face so sensitive and pensive in
expression that it rather misled one as
to her disposition. 1t misled this young
romancer 80 far that when she sud-
denly dropped the letter into her lap,
with burst Of genuine, hearty laugh
ter, it made him stare.
"Oh, Mr.. Graves, if you want to hear
something really rich and funny, just
listen. might have known he was a
poet, by his wandering eye, but how
was I to know that l was furnishing
inspiration to his muse?"
He caught the infection of her mirth
and came over 10 where she sat, eager
to hear. She was less of the saint thus
and nearer the human, and he blessed
this poet who had brought her closer
to him.
cit is from that. gallant News ant
Courier man then? thought so wher
1 found it on my table,"
The commences thus" Stephani,
read, with ill controlled mirth;
| .I'm glad you've come this way,
| On this November day.
! 1 wish to meet you, and to greet you,
AS a newspaper man;
To teach you, charming creature,
That you arc the prettiest of our clan.
To state you have strayed,
Where subscribers were played,
Most charming little girl.
But now there are plenty
From forty five to twenty,
Who will not even frown
When you seek to "put them down."
I've taken su ubscribers meekly,
Both for daily and for weekly,
From the mountain peaks
To the Chesapeake;
I've taken them tall and slender,